Conventional fabric spreading machines include a removable carriage assembly which rides on a table and deposits layers of fabric or other sheet material on to the table from a supply roll which is mounted on the carriage assembly. In motor-driven automatic spreading machines, the motion of the carriage assembly is controlled by a pair of switches mounted on the carriage assembly. The first of these switches causes the carriage assembly to slow down when the switch comes into contact with the end of a rail which is mounted on the edge of the table by means a pair of brackets and a plurality of machine screws. The second switch causes the carriage assembly to reverse direction when the switch comes into contact with a cam block which is mounted on the rail.
In order to adjust the length of the fabric layers being deposited on the table, the position of the rail and the cam block must be adjusted relative to the table. This procedure requires an operator to unscrew the machine screws which attach the brackets to the table, re-position and re-attach the brackets to the table. The position of the cam block on the rail must then be adjusted by loosening set screws which hold the cam block in place. This procedure is both tedious and time consuming and results in an excessive amount of downtime whenever the fabric spreading machine is adjusted for a new run.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable motion control apparatus for a fabric spreading machine which can be rapidly and easily adjusted to vary the length of fabric being spread.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable motion control apparatus which can be easily mounted on the table supporting a fabric spreading machine without a need for major structural modifications of the fabric spreading machine or of the table.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable motion control apparatus for fabric spreading machines which can be adjusted without a need for special tools.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable motion control apparatus for fabric spreading machines which comprises a limited number of relatively simple parts which are economical of manufacture.